Just before spring break, Class 2 students proudly performed their winter plays for their parents/guardians and professional community members, sending all who attended into the break with warm hearts and big smiles.
The three Class 2 homerooms spent weeks writing their own plays inspired by this year’s theme: field trips gone wrong. Each section interpreted the idea in a unique and comedic way.
This annual event, led by Sarah Bellantoni, Head of Lower School Arts Integration and Drama Teacher, engages Class 2 in a tremendous creative process that allows them to use their mastery of storytelling fundamentals through interdisciplinary lenses in music, drama and dance.
Working together in small groups during their drama classes, the students began by developing their characters and plots, expanding on the skills they’ve amassed in Lower School drama thus far. Next, they supplemented their tales with staging, dialogue and movement, bringing together a cohesive story to share with their audience.
Each play also featured an original song, which the students and LS Music Teacher Rachel Salem wrote collaboratively during their winter term music classes. The girls brainstormed words and phrases relating to their plays to construct the final lyrics. These original songs were set to the melodies of popular music, with students composing new lyrics to fit their narratives. One class, for example, rewrote Abba’s “Mamma Mia,” to help tell a story of searching for missing classmates during a class trip to the zoo.
In dance class, the students explored improvisation and choreography with LS Dance Teacher Susan Strong. They created movement inspired by their characters and their chosen setting. Students worked in pairs to design a piece of choreography which was then combined with their classmates’ work for a unified performance piece.
Courtney Screen and Naomi Martel’s class opened the shows with “The NotCracker,” which follows the hilarious mishaps of a class trip to see the Nutcracker gone wrong. The play opens when the students arrive at Lincoln Center with their teacher and chaperone, one of the students’ grandmother. They are disappointed to learn that the show has been canceled! Apparently, half of the ballet corps has been stranded downtown after their bus broke down en route to the show. In an attempt to get the show back on, the students volunteered to fill in the missing spots. Hilarity ensues as the students clumsily attempt to follow along with trained ballerinas and accidentally knock the whole cast to the floor at the end of the first act.
After a disastrous Act 1, the students and grandmother decide to rescue the stranded ballerinas instead of repeating their first performance. Using the field trip school bus, the girls and grandma rescue the ballet dancers and bring them safely to the theater. The students watch excitedly as Act 2 begins and are surprised to see the bus driver and grandma take the stage with the cast! To close the show, the students gathered as a whole to sing their original song and take a bow.
Lianna Frazier and Danielle Edmonds’ class wowed the audience with their original play, “Smarties vs. Parties: Lost at the Zoo.” The story followed a lively class — filled with a variety of personalities and friend groups — as they embarked on a fun day at the zoo. Throughout the play, the audience watches as the students explore different areas of the zoo in small groups, encountering humorous and unexpected situations along the way.
A central storyline highlighted two girls who, after getting lost together, discovered an unexpected friendship that grows over the course of their adventure. Each student brought their character to life with a carefully chosen costume, accessories and matching props, adding personality and detail to their roles.
Ms. Thompson and Ms. Ross’ class debuted “Mission Impossible,” set at the Museum of Natural History. While students are on a field trip with their teacher, they discover three gem thieves in their midst! The museum shuts down as students in the roles of museum security try to track down the missing gem.
After some sleuthing, it’s the students on a trip who succeed in catching the criminals! (Plot twist — one of the robbers is their teacher’s twin!) Full of clever creativity and laugh-out-loud one-liners — and an original song set to Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor” — these second graders delivered a fabulous performance.
Throughout each play the students showcased their creativity, collaboration and storytelling skills filling the Black Box Theater with laughter and applause.
Browse more photos HERE. (Click on the brackets in the upper right corner to view the photos in full resolution.)
